Vegan Chunky Vegetable Pea Soup
A Healthy Recipe to Feed the Holiday Crowd
Feeding the holiday crowd can be a challenge, especially if you're vegan. Here's an animal-free recipe even your non-vegan friends and relatives will enjoy.
Living vegan can be a challenge in itself, but feeding guests during the festive season can be even more of a trial. While your visitors may not fully appreciate raw veggies and bean curd, chunky vegetable pea soup is a favourite even among meat eaters, and if you’re catering to a crowd over the holidays, this recipe serves a small army.
Even if you’re only cooking for one or two, this soup’s versatility makes it a winner. It keeps in the fridge for several days. Though it does take a little preparation time, the ingredients are simple, and it makes a great starter to any meal. It also makes for a tasty and filling lunch on its own. And as a further bonus for those busy people seeking a quick meal to compliment a hectic holiday schedule, the soup can be frozen as single servings in airtight plastic containers.
Note: When reheating or thawing, you’ll need to add more water, as the soup thickens to a paste in the fridge or freezer.
Vegan Chunky Vegetable Pea Soup
Ingredients:
This recipe requires a large eight to twelve litre soup pot, into which you put the following ingredients:
- 1 454 gram package of split yellow peas, rinsed
- 1 ½ cups diced carrot (3 large carrots)
- 3 cups onion, finely chopped (3 large onions)
- 4 cups diced potato (8 small potatoes)
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 14 cups water
Directions
This part couldn’t be easier. Just pile all the ingredients into the pot, add the water and bring it to a boil. It’s ready to eat once the peas have broken down to a smooth liquid, which takes approximately two hours at full boil. Stir the pot frequently, as the peas have a tendency to stick to the bottom once the soup begins to thicken. The peas will soak up a vast amount of liquid as they cook, as well, so you’ll have to add more water as the soup thickens.
Note: You can make the soup as thick or thin as you desire; just add more or less water. It won’t affect the taste.
While it’s great the same day, it’s best to let the soup sit overnight—it acquires even better flavour once it’s had a chance to absorb more of the liquid—so you may want to make it a day ahead of time, especially if you’re entertaining guests.
Preparation time will vary, depending on whether you use a food processor to chop and dice all those vegetables, but it’s worth the effort; you’ll have enough chunky vegetable pea soup to feed a dozen people at one sitting or to feed yourself for the entire twelve days of Christmas.
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Now that you’ve got the soup to start with, you’ll need a tasty and colorful entrée to follow and, of course, a decadent desert to top off your vegan holiday feast.
